Hillside Retreat in Brazil Opens to the Ocean

Developed for a couple with three young children, Casa Delta by Bernardes Architectsis a contemporary weekend home in Guaruja, Brazil, just outside São Paulo. The imposing 10,760-square-foot house sits on a steep hillside in an Atlantic Forest reserve.

“The functional program was laid out on different levels to let the house adapt to the existing terrain and trees,” the architects said. “The entrance is from the parking area on the lower level, from which a wide staircase shoots up across the first floor and onto the terrace, where the social areas and master suite are built under a canopy.”

Offering both privacy and aesthetics, sunscreen panels cover the exterior of the first level, where the children’s and guest bedrooms are located. The second floor of the hillside retreat offers splendid views of the ocean and neighboring beach.

“The trapezoidal, wafer-thin canopy sits on large glass panes and forms a pavilion that shares the same floor as the large veranda around it,” the architects said. “The orientation of the timber sunscreens guides the eye toward the horizon, where an infinity edge makes the swimming pool part of the ocean.” [Photography by Leonardo Finotti]